Mechanicsburg, Pa. — Chase Dietz finished off a remarkable 2026 Williams Grove Speedway season with the kind of weekend that turns a strong year into a career-defining one.
The York, Pennsylvania driver not only captured the $75,000 J&S Classics National Open on October 3, he also secured the 2026 Lawrence Chevrolet 410 Sprint Car track championship at Williams Grove.
Dietz entered National Open weekend trailing in the standings, moved into control of the title race on Friday night, and then stretched the advantage through Saturday’s finale. The championship is the second Williams Grove track title of his career, following his 2015 358 Sprint Car crown, but it is his first in the 410 division.
A breakthrough title for Stehman Motorsports
The championship was also a first for No. 23 car owners John and Kelly Stehman of Halifax.
Across the 2026 Williams Grove season, Dietz entered 20 races, qualified for 19 of them and won four times. In the 19 features he started, his average finish was 4.5.
The consistency was just as impressive as the win total. Dietz and the Stehman team also posted five runner-up finishes, one third-place result, two fourths, two fifths and three additional top-10 finishes.
More hardware for the team
Veteran mechanic Tommy Carl was named the 2026 Dave Brown Sr. Mechanic of the Year after turning the wrenches through Dietz’s championship run.
Dietz and the team also earned the 2026 Hoosier Diamond Series championship at Williams Grove, another first for everyone involved.
The track also recognized Buddy Schweibinz of Tuckahoe, New Jersey, as 410 Sprint Car Rookie of the Year, while Logan Rumsey of Manchester earned Most Improved Driver honors.
Williams Grove already looking toward 2027
Williams Grove also announced that Lawrence Chevrolet will return as the title sponsor of the 410 Sprint Car point fund for the 2027 season.
For Dietz, the story of 2026 is difficult to separate from what happened on National Open weekend. His biggest payday of the year and his first Williams Grove 410 track championship arrived together, putting an exclamation point on a season that already included one of the strongest local campaigns of the year.
Source: Williams Grove Speedway press release by Shawn Brouse.
0 comments